Hat in Hand
by Pharaoh-Ink
Summary: Bonneton had visitors long before the infamous man in red crashed down to it. A rather simple origin story for a vaguely familiar duo.


As the dust settled from the newly landed craft, a lone man exited from the shuttle, peering around at his strange surroundings. He had taken wrong turns before, but they usually landed him somewhere safe. This was unlike any land he'd ever encountered before, and he wondered if he was still on the planet at all at this rate!

The skies were dark, and they seemed perfectly content to stay that way, a rather large and glowing moon taking up much of the horizon before him. A nighttime scene wasn't enough to deter him, however, it was what flew passed the starry sky that stretched before him; and after squinting to get a good look, as he approached the city, he was made fully aware of just who and what occupied this space.

Hats! He'd never seen quite a thing like that before! Hats whizzing by as if they'd always been made to do so! Why, even their homes resembled hats. In all his years of travel, he'd never seen such a bizarre gathering of species before.

It was then that one very nearly ran into him, and huffed, squinting its large eyes down at him, yelling out something in frustration. As to what, he couldn't quite understand the dialect, but it was decidedly rude, and so he stepped out of the way, offering a meager excuse of himself.

How phenomenal and amazing this place was! Did anyone know about it? Was he the first to venture here? He began backing up, and one misstep sent him tumbling back into an abyss- there was nothing to grab onto, and he had clumsily tripped over himself. Nothing but smog surrounded him, and he wondered just how far the drop was.

Only the ground never came.

Instead, he felt himself float, and the answer as to why grew apparent as he looked up, a hat having caught him by the hand, and was now taking him back to solid earth again.

"That was sure a spill! Thanks for saving me! Dunno if you can understand a word I'm sayin', but-"

"Of course I understand!" The hat beamed at him, having dropped him to his feet. "You're welcome!"

"Ah! N-no offense meant, I just- earlier, I overheard some of the locals speak, I wasn't sure if-"

"No harm done, buddy! No worries!"

"Uh..." The man looked sheepish then, rubbing an arm. "Pardon my ignorance, but uh...just what IS this place? I've never seen anything like it before..."

The hat grinned, "You're in Bonneton, friend! You must've traveled a loooooong way to get here! We don't get that many tourists. But please feel free to make yourself at home, guests are fun. I think so anyway."

"Heh, why that's mighty kind of you! Bonneton, eh? I don't think it's on my map." The man scratched at his head. "...Well...I get the hat motif kind of vibe here, so that makes all of you...?"

"Bonneters! We're hats. To be more precise, hats that once WERE!"

"Hats that...were once hats?" The man looked confused. "But what does that make you now?"

"Well, I guess the essence! Bonneters have a powerful energy that makes them exist. After being something for so long, you just will yourself into being! We don't start out like this. We can't talk, or move, or do anything until we meet our purpose, and then, only then, if you're lucky enough...you wake up like this one day!" The hat gave a playful twirl, laughing.

"Huh. That's very odd. I can't say I've ever heard of a Bonneter, or any such case of hats coming to life. But I'm a fella that believes anything is possible! I've certainly seen my fair share of magic!"

"Issat so?~" The hat tilted to look at him upside down, and it was then that the man noticed that the Bonneter's eyes were a mismatched shade.

"Oh yes!" He nodded. "You see, I'm a ringmaster for what's to become a famous traveling carnival! I'm scouring the world to find the greatest of talents and skills, to make my show truly one for the stars!"

"That sounds like a blast! I betcha it's already super popular!"

"Er...well." The man grinned nervously, tugging at his bow-tie. "Not quite. I'm afraid I'm not the greatest of speakers. Is that odd, for a ringmaster to be a bundle of nerves?"

"I don't think so! Plenty of people get nervous when working over a crowd. You just gotta know how to read people! You have to know how to sell yourself. That takes a lot of confidence. But I can see you've already got the idea down. You just need a little push!"

"Really? You think it's that simple?"

"Sure do! In fact...I could help you out, actually!" The hat righted itself, twirling around him. "I've always wanted to travel...and a traveling carnival sounds right up my alley! Carnivals are lively, colorful, fun- everything this gloomy place isn't. If you let me tag along, I can give you the tools you need to get your carnival really swingin', pal!"

"Is that right?" The man tapped at his chin, smiling slowly. "Hm. Well, I guess the company would be nice. And it'd be better to be able to bounce ideas off of someone! Oh, you know it just occurred to me though, I never caught your name! You do have a name, don't you?"

The hat laughed. "It'd be awfully confusing if I didn't, don'tcha think? You can call me Big Top! And what is the great ringmaster's name?"

"Bailey. Mr. Bailey Hoobert."

"First thing's first, you aren't gonna attract a crowd with THAT as your intro. Hmm..." The hat circled him as it thought, biting at its brim. "You need something fun sounding!"

"I didn't even think about the name! Ooh, already you're a big help. I guess that's all apart of...what is it called-"

"Branding? Yes. You want people to remember you! OH! I've got it-" The hat flipped over him and plopped down atop his head. The hat now situated, it was now a bright shade of blue. "AHEM- LAAAAADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOOOOYS AND GIRLS OF ALL AGES!~ MAY I INTRODUCE YOUR HOST AND M.C. FOR TONIGHT- BALLLLLLLYYYYHOOOOOO!~ And his assistant Big Top, let's not forget, hehe!~"

The man's grin widened, and he clapped, "HA HA HA!~ I love it! It DOES have a ring to it! Ballyhoo and Big Top! Oh, you and I are definitely going to create grand and wondrous things together!"

"I've got a good feelin' about you too, buddy!~" The hat grinned down at him, giving him a wink.


End file.
